"Floating" furniture works well in a large room

Floating furniture is visually impactful, but you must have the space to do this properly. Furniture templates come in handy for this exercise.

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Dear Leanne: Recently, I visited a show home that displayed furniture toward the centre of the room. Although I had seen this done with sofas and loveseats before, I hadn't seen this effect in a bedroom.

In the master bedroom, the bed was almost in the middle of the room and there was a seating area behind the head board. We are designing our future home and I really liked this look for the master bedroom, but I'm wondering how to make this work so it doesn't look odd.

A: When creating a perfectly balanced ambience, furniture placement should be determined after considering the function and natural flow of a space. This allows you to experiment and try new things that challenge our traditional approaches.

Your impression of the bedroom was positive. If you think back at the floor plan of this room, you will likely remember that it is was a large space.

Floating furniture is visually impactful, but you must have the space to do this properly. Furniture templates come in handy for this exercise.

You can simply make your own by measuring the outside dimensions of the furniture you intend to place in the room.

Make sure you measure the outermost dimensions. A head or footboard may extend past the four legs of a bed so ensure you have taken that into account.

Since you are at the planning stage, you have the advantage of making changes on paper — perfect for determining whether this is what you truly want when the walls go up. There are no specific rules or recommendations for this type of space that I am aware of, but the following will offer you a guideline.

Window placement, size and shapes will be important to consider. This view will dictate whether the bed will face the windows or not (I have seen both designed beautifully).

If you plan to have the sitting area in front of the windows, then create large floor-to-ceiling windows to maximize the view and the natural lighting. Window shapes will add character to the room and continue the spectacular effect you are aiming for.

Create a sitting area to accommodate two chairs or a chaise longue, an accent table and lamp. Ensure minimum 0.9 m (three feet) distance between furniture and window.

You can separate the bed from this sitting area by trying one of the following:

- Face the bed away from the window, backing the headboard onto the sitting area

- Build a pony wall for the headboard to rest against to separate the bed from the sitting area regardless of the direction the bed faces.

- Set up designer screens as a separation which is visually stunning and not as permanent.

Once you decide which way the bed will face, consider the impact created when you walk into the room. You need space to walk in and not bump into furniture.

Do not assume this arrangement works in all spaces. While your bed is no longer tightly placed against a wall, its structure is now consuming walking space. Doors need to swing, drawers need to be pulled open; make sure you have a one-metre clearance to accommodate functional access.

The wall for your headboard can be a short pony wall or a floor-to-ceiling design created out of architectural elements, such as glass blocks to encourage the natural light to penetrate.

Use your templates to determine all remaining furniture placement, and then decide on your light or fan requirements. Once you know where your headboard is placed you can centre overhead lighting and accommodate in-floor electrical outlets for bedside lamps.

Floating a bed in a room can provide a spectacular effect, but you do need adequate space for this and stunning structural details, such as windows and glass blocks to really make this work. It would be my recommendation to have a designer draw several views for this idea before you commit to building.

Leanne Brownoff is an Edmonton interior design consultant who welcomes your questions at leannebrownoff@shaw.ca. Answers will be featured in her column, as high volumes prevent individual email responses. Also follow her at twitter.com/LeanneBrownoff.

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